Vernon Ehlers: “I rise on the premise that every registered citizen has the right to vote, can vote, and should vote. I also believe…”

“I rise on the premise that every registered citizen has the right to vote, can vote, and should vote. I also believe that every citizen who votes has the right to be assured that his or her vote is counted accurately and, furthermore, that that vote is protected against dilution by fraud of others who vote more than once or who vote illegally. I have served in local, State and national office for over 25 years. During that time I have seen and participated in many elections. The problems we saw last year in Florida are not unique. These problems occur frequently, and I believe this bill will help to solve many of these election difficulties. While we can debate the particulars of how to administer an election or which voting equipment to buy, we know that all voting equipment should be based on the strongest possible standards for usability, accuracy, security, accessibility, and integrity. In order to achieve all of that, I introduced a bill earlier this year, H.R. 2275, which would help to assist in establishing the technical standards for voting equipment, making use of the resources of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is uniquely qualified to do this.”